Friday, October 08, 2010

Canada's War on Islam: The Case of Mahboob and Momin Khawaja

Canada's War on Islam: The Case of Mahboob and Momin Khawaja - by Stephen Lendman

Canada, like other Western countries and Israel, is partnered in America's War on Islam - a post-9/11 "war on terror" scheme to vilify Muslims as culturally inferior gun-toting terrorists for political advantage. As a result, thousands of innocent victims have been lawlessly persecuted, bogusly charged, imprisoned, tortured, and in some cases extrajudicially murdered in cold blood.

Two previous articles, among many others, explained what all Muslims face, accessed through the following links:

Mahboob Khawaja, his son Momin and family, are Pakistani Canadians, bogusly targeted for alleged involvement in terrorism.

Dr. Khawaja is an "academic specializing in Strategic Studies with special interests in Western-Islamic Civilizations, Change and Conflict Resolution." His books include "Muslims and the West: Quest for Change and Conflict Resolution," as well as many published articles, his latest titled "Fallacy of the 'War on Terrorism.' " Accurately described as a "self-defeating," inhumane, "cynical framework of greed and tyranny," it shamelessly perceives Muslims "as the culprits waging war against the Christian West."

In fact, the opposite is true. It's been longstanding, then intensified post-9/11 globally, claiming millions of innocent victims, thousands as political prisoners, Canada as culpable as America.

Mahboob explained how he and his family were persecuted, saying:

"It was a combined (American/Canadian/UK) project, my wife and children arrested at gunpoint in Ottawa while I was working in a university in Saudi Arabia. My family home was attacked by 50 - 60 armed (Royal Canadian Mounted Police - RCMP) without any formal search warrant, looking for a bomb," but found nothing.

In fact, Mahboob's door was blown open. Masked RCMP burst in, telling his family to get down on the floor, then asking "Is your house booby-trapped? Where are the explosives?" Of course, there were none nor any booby or other traps.

"Simultaneously, I was arrested in Arabia and jailed for two weeks. The Saudi Intelligence showed me the formal Canadian request, but (Security) Minister (Anne McClellan) and the Government in Ottawa denied" sending it. "The documentary evidence," however, refutes "this public lying." No matter. The damage was done. Canadian and global media reports destroyed his "professional career as a professor in global politics," as well as his son, Momin's, as a software developer.

Government-sponsored media ads and reports vilified him, his wife and children as "terrorists," the same fate as for hundreds of others bogusly portrayed, their lives grievously impaired as a result. A family friend and president of the regional Canada-Pakistan Association, Qamar Masood, believed at the time it was a case of mistaken identity. Importantly, "Just imagine how they're going to live through this ordeal," he said. "And after that, living in a neighborhood with so many eyes looking at them, it's very hard," because of the entire cross they'll forever have to bear.

Mahboob's son, Momin, was falsely accused of a UK bomb plot, a March 31, 2004 Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) report saying he "became the first person charged under Canada's (2001 Anti-Terrorism Act on March 30) when police accused him of terrorist activity in Canada and in England."

Though acquitted on that charge, he was held without trial for over four years, then convicted on October 29, 2008, and sentenced on March 12, 2009, after a bench trial, to ten and a half years (over and above time served) for donating $859 to an Afghan refugee charity, and two other changes, including:

-- "making a device" that, in fact, "was to stop cell phone signals in mosques, academic institutions, hospitals," and other facilities from being identified; and

-- "attending some (alleged) unknown camp during a visit to Pakistan," the same bogus charge against other innocent victims traveling abroad to Muslim countries, some to visit families, then linking their visits to terror plots or training for involvement in future ones.

Despite the gross injustice, the CBC reported on April 14, 2009 that Canada's federal government appealed the sentence for a longer one, possibly for life on least one of the charges. At trial, "The Crown had sought two life sentences plus an additional sentence of 44 - 58 years," while the defense argued for seven and a half years with "double credit for time already served."

However, Judge Douglas Rutherford called Momin "a willing and eager participant" in a terror plot, despite no evidence whatever for proof. Nonetheless, he accused him of "assist(ing alleged terror plotters) in many ways," adding that "It matters not whether any terrorist activity was actually carried out," stopping short of questioning if any were, in fact, planned.

Surprisingly, he said authorities hadn't proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Momin had any direct knowledge, let alone involvement, an admission that should have mandated acquittal, yet he cowardly refused to release him.

Mahboob said these issues are being appealed, but after six years, Momin is still imprisoned, victimized by Canadian state terrorism like thousands of others in America and globally. In earlier writing, he explained how Canadian Intelligence Agencies and their complicit media terrorize innocent civilians. More on that below.

First, on March 12, 2009, the BBC updated earlier Momin reports, headlining its account "Khawaja: The Canadian connection," saying:

He conspired with four other men "jailed for life in April 2007 for a UK bomb plot linked to al-Qaeda, receiv(ing) a sentence of 10 years and six months" for his alleged role.

A software developer, he "worked in the technical support department of the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and had a good knowledge of electronics. Of Pakistani origin, he became fascinated by radical Islamist politics, and its focus on conflicts in the Muslim world." He allegedly "traveled to Pakistan in 2003 and met members of a loose network of jihadi sympathizers - men who believed that violence was legitimate."

These and other charges were alleged at trial, the BBC, like Canadian and US media, accepting them on faith - no matter that they're entirely bogus and should have been thrown out because no credible evidence was presented, only the usual unsubstantiated government version of events, some based on secret evidence unavailable to counsel.

Yet BBC accused Momin of terrorism, saying he returned to Britain "intent on building a bomb," his role being "to help to build the detonator." In fact, a sting, a setup, targeted him at a claimed Heathrow Airport meeting with Omar Khyam, the accused "ringleader." MI5 and London police allegedly monitored it. UK authorities informed Canada's RCMP who arrested Momin on March 29, 2004, claiming they "found documents and papers sympathetic to violent jihadi courses of action" in his home, besides whatever information UK authorities provided, all of it contrived and bogus.

As a result, on October 29, 2008, an Judge Douglas Rutherford "ruled that (Momin) had knowingly participated in the (alleged) foiled plot against several British targets, including a shopping center, nightclub and the gas work." Though bogusly charged and convicted, he's now imprisoned and falsely branded a terrorist, an accusation that will haunt him forever.

An earlier article discussed the bogus London terror plot, accessed through the following link:

It explained the following, a technique used repeatedly in Britain, Canada, America, and elsewhere. A government cooperator was paid to entrap and testify against targeted Muslims. The so-called London plot (called the Fertilizer Case) used Juniad Babar, a dubious character nicknamed "Supergrass" by Britain's media.

In 2004, he agreed to cooperate with FBI agents after being indicted in June. He then pled guilty to four counts of conspiring to and providing and attempting to provide material support or resources to terrorists. A fifth count involved providing funds, goods, or services to benefit Al-Qaeda. In return for a reduced sentence, he copped a plea, requiring him to provide "substantial assistance," including entrapping and testifying against targeted Muslims, ones authorities want to frame and convict.

London's Fertilizer Case involved a half-ton of ammonium nitrate, allegedly to blow up a London shopping center, nightclub and other targets - bogus charges that nonetheless got targeted "bombers" convicted and imprisoned, including Momin, even though there was no plot and no crime. In his case, "two hired agents of the Canadian intelligence services (charged him) with two counts of 'bomb making' (involvement) in (Britain)," where the other alleged plotters were brought to trial, not him.

Writing earlier about media complicity with authorities, Mahboob quoted British author Adam Curtis saying, "international terrorism is a fantasy that has been exaggerated and distorted by politicians" for political advantage. It's "a dark illusion that has spread unquestioned through governments around the world, the security services and the international media."

To advance American, UK, Canadian, and Israeli imperialism, their "ruling elite(s) invested heavily to institutionalize animosity towards Muslims and the Arabs. The new 21st century colonial masters view humanity in numbers and digits, not as living moral beings with rights and dignity."

In America, extremist neo-cons "use racism and religious fanaticism to fuel hatred towards Muslims and Islam, and engulf the world with horror of military conquests (and occupations) to further the dictum of" global dominance.

In America, Britain, Canada, Israel, and other Western states, Muslims are treated like sub-humans, vilified as dangerous villains unfit to co-exist with superior Judeo-Christians, a subtle and overt government/media spread message. As a result, nominal democracies act tyrannically, serving privileged elites, not popular interests, and needing enemies to justify expansionist policies, including imperial wars and state-sponsored terrorism to further them.

In an earlier article, Mahboob asked:

"What did Canada achieve (by) destabiliz(ing) the Khawaja family, drain(ing)-out their human energies in arrest, torture and (persecuting them for years) as 'Muslim terrorists'...?" The "demonstrable record (shows) Canada had no incidents of extremism or terrorism at all," putting a lie to government accusations based on an alleged plot that never existed. Authorities even claimed they never raided the Khawaja home even though family members were terrorized and arrested. Possessions were seized, damage done, and hundreds of neighbors saw it.

The plain truth is that Western nations face no Islamic threat. Claiming one is a US-concocted lie. Authorities and media reports viciously spread it to justify state-sponsored terrorism against innocent victims like Mahboob and his family, including son Momin, now imprisoned for being Muslim at the wrong time in Canada.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.